VOA慢速英语--印度与巴基斯坦达成双边停火协议

Pakistan and India have agreed to immediately end military hostilities² in the disputed area of Kashmir. The two nations promised Thursday to honor a 2003 truce³ to reduce tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals.

In a joint⁴ statement, top military commanders said they had discussed in a "cordial atmosphere" the situation along the Line of Control that splits Kashmir.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, but both countries claim the whole territory. It has been the cause of two of the three wars between the countries since both gained independence from Britain in 1947.

A statement released by Pakistan's army said the two nations had agreed to observe "all agreements, understandings and cease firing along the LOC."

It also said that in the interest of peace, the two sides had agreed to discuss each other's main concerns in an effort to prevent further violence.

Indian and Pakistani military commanders also agreed on the need to use existing arrangements between the two sides to settle any problems that may arise, the statement said.

Thursday's communication between the two militaries -- through an established hotline -- came after months of worsening relations between Pakistan and India.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi called the understanding an "important step" toward peace in the area. He added that while the agreement can be a "good beginning," it also requires India to demonstrate sincerity⁵.

South Asia experts in India welcomed the move.

"It's a good development and should have happened a long time ago," said Amit Baruah. He is editor of The Hindu newspaper in Delhi.

"India and Pakistan may not see eye-to-eye, but contact is always good for the sake of the people living on either side of the Line of Control," Baruah told VOA.

The two countries agreed to the 2003 Kashmir ceasefire at a time when the world worried that hostilities over Kashmir could grow into a nuclear conflict.

However, small military conflicts at the border have become common in recent years. Each side has accused the other of truce violations⁷. Both countries say the violence has caused hundreds of casualties to security forces and civilians⁸.

India has long accused Pakistan of arming Muslim separatists fighting Indian rule in Kashmir. Pakistan denies the charges. It says Indian security forces have committed "atrocities⁹" against Kashmiris.

India's Hindustan Times newspaper said the new agreement was the result of secret talks between Indian National Security Adviser¹⁰ Ajit Doval and his Pakistani counterpart, Moeed Yusuf.

Tensions have increased sharply since August 2019. At that time, India canceled Kashmir's constitutional right to limited self-rule in the part of Kashmir it controls. It split the area into two new territories and enforced tough new security and communications rules in the majority Muslim area.

Pakistan's government saw the move as a violation⁶ of a United Nations Security Council resolution that recognizes Kashmir as a disputed territory. Its relationship with India worsened as it demanded that the action be changed.

India said the move was part of efforts aimed at improving security and bringing economic growth to Kashmir.

Words in This Story

rival – n. someone or something that is competing with another person or thing

cordial – adj. friendly and polite

arrangement – n. plans for how something will happen

hotline – n. a direct telephone line in constant operation in order to carry out immediate¹ communication

sincerity – n. being honest and saying or showing what you really feel or believe

atrocity¹¹ – n. a very cruel or terrible action

1 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

2 hostilities   

n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事

参考例句：

• Mexico called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 墨西哥要求立即停止敌对行动。
• All the old hostilities resurfaced when they met again. 他们再次碰面时，过去的种种敌意又都冒了出来。

3 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

4 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

5 sincerity   

n.真诚，诚意；真实

参考例句：

• His sincerity added much more authority to the story.他的真诚更增加了故事的说服力。
• He tried hard to satisfy me of his sincerity.他竭力让我了解他的诚意。

6 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

7 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

8 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

9 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

11 atrocity   

n.残暴，暴行

参考例句：

• These people are guilty of acts of great atrocity.这些人犯有令人发指的暴行。
• I am shocked by the atrocity of this man's crimes.这个人行凶手段残忍狠毒使我震惊。